The Watch
by Terran Seige Tank
Summary: About Helga, Phoebe, Arnold, a watch, and a funeral. A writing exercise, based on a 2001 contest, in a previous FanfictionNet column called HOMEWORK by vvoltaire. The contest was to write a very dramatic scene out of a seemingly ordinary dialogue.


_Title: The Watch_

_Rating: PG_

_Category: Drama/Angst_

_A/N: Hello once again guys! It has been a long time since I've done something here at Okay, you guys should've been expecting chapter 7 of the "Lead Us Not Into Temptation" Hey Arnold (HA) fic for a looooooooooonnng time now. Well, I've finally got the latest. The news is that I'm almost finished with that chapter! It's just a matter of making it as perfect as possible. For the long wait. I had so many things to do, and I've finally decided to continue that fic._

_But while you guys wait in the meantime, I'm going to show you this. This one is actually something that I had written waaaaaay long ago. I've actually written this waaay before the "Lead Us Not Into Temptation" fic. I don't know if you guys could really call this a fanfic. This is really some sort of writing, ahem, "exercise", rather than a fic... a practice if you will. It's been untouched for a long time and now, I finally decided to share this anyway._

_It's the one that started it all. Not only that this started me in writing fics/stories. In a way, this is my "newbie" piece since I have never written a story before this one._

_How did I make this? Well, there was this contest at last May 2001 in each everyone was trying to make a dramatic interpretation of the following ordinary scene:_

_Piro: Hi._

_Ruki: Hello._

_Piro: How are you?_

_Ruki: Fine._

_Piro: Do you know what time it is?_

_Ruki: My watch is broken._

_Piro: Do you know what time it is?_

_Ruki: I said, my watch is broken._

_Piro: Sorry._

_Ruki: It's okay._

_If vvoltaire is reading this, then yes this was actually your contest. To those who don't know, vvoltaire had published great articles in , in a previously existing column. The name of the column was entitled "Homework"._

_Given the above, the contest vvoltaire sponsored, involved making a scene/scenario (real, imagined, fanfic, or otherwise) in which the only thing ever said is this seemingly simple conversation. Absolutely no other words in the scene... nothing more, nothing less._

_I have to admit that I'm really impressed at how the contestants were able to make dramatic scenes out of this._

_By the time I heard of the contest, it was already over and many different awards were given so I never had a chance to give it. Also by this time, I had just begun starting to write stories for the first time in my life. _

_So, instead I had used this as a great writing exercise as to my current abilities in story writing, if any (because I've never written a story before this, ahem)._

_The result of this exercise is what is shown below. I have to admit it takes a lot of imagination in pulling off a dramatic interpretation so I give my hats off to those who joined that contest and congratulations to the winners._

_Disclaimer: I do not own HA since that's by Craig Bartlett. My name is Earl, and not Craig. I also do not own the abovementioned conversation because this was made public in a writing contest that was organized by vvoltaire in the "Homework" column here in I could only claim the scene itself._

_I dedicate this "piece" to vvoltaire and to the "Homework" column that was previously made by vvoltaire. I will also thank Elijah (calengm) for checking this one out too._

_Whew! Pretty long author's notes, isn't it? Ahem! Crazy me! But without further ado, enjoy and R&R, as we begin.._

The Watch

It is a rainy afternoon at the city cemetery. A lot of 4th graders from PS118 gathered by one of the newly unearthed holes in the cemetery. They're not playing. They're in mourning. Their parents that accompanied them were sad and in mourning also. Some were crying. The parents of Phoebe were crying most of all as the coffin containing their only child and daughter was slowly being lowered into the unearthed hole. Helga, Phoebe's best friend, was crying by the hole as the workers of the cemetery began adding dirt to cover and fill it up. Slowly the dirt began to rise making the hole shallower and shallower. As the dirt rose, Helga remembered the things they had fun together before Phoebe's unfortunate accident.

Arnold was beside Helga. She would usually make fun of him as a bully in class, but at this time, she doesn't feel like doing it to him right now. She wanted to cry, but not in front of Arnold to avoid showing any signs of weakness to him. Arnold, seeing the sad look in her eyes, started talking so he could help her keep her mind off her troubles.

"Hi," he began.

"Hello," she could be barely heard saying amidst the beating rain.

Arnold looks at the hole filled with more dirt, "How are you?" Helga then took her time before speaking.

"Fine," she finally replied.

Arnold takes another look on her face and he knows that she wasn't fine. She still thinks of her best friend so much. As more dirt was being poured in, her desire to cry was becoming more intense now but she is still keeping her feelings to herself. Arnold attempts to change the subject, in order to make her forget the current situation.

"Do you know what time it is?" he then asks.

Helga searches her watch. She was at Phoebe's house last night to look at her best friend before today's funeral. She was sad there and she had vented her feelings there by hitting her hands and fists many times at one of the walls. The thought of this made her more wanting to cry but she is still somewhat successful at holding them.

"My watch is broken," she spoke softly, upon realizing what she had done to it the night before.

She wasn't aware that she spoke too softly this time as the rains continued to pour down heavily. The dirt is now almost at level with the earth around.

At the same time, Helga is now at the brink of pouring out her feelings strongly as she shed a tear. She tries to hold the rest, but to no avail as more tears streak from her eyes. She tries to hide her face from Arnold.

"Do you know what time it is?" Arnold asked again as he didn't hear the previous response from her.

At this point, Helga at last just couldn't hold her feelings anymore. Arnold's apparent deafness to the situation had put her feelings over the edge.

"I SAID, MY WATCH IS BROKEN!" she suddenly shouted to Arnold. Helga then started closing her eyes and crying hard in an outburst of emotions. Everyone else stared at her but they understood her feelings.

Arnold knows Helga too well as the strong bully who usually does not cry. He was surprised to see her like this. In spite of the teases he got from her at school, he took pity on her. Realizing that she was sobbing, he began to hug her as it seemed that today she just needed another friend to hold on to.

"I'm sorry," he then spoke. He was not only sorry due to his apparent deafness but also sorry for fact that she had lost her best friend.

Helga then uncovered her eyes and noticing that Arnold hugs her, she hugged him back.

She didn't speak anything for awhile. She just looked at the ground and saw that the dirt completely covered the hole and then everyone else started leaving for their cars, all trying to come to terms with the fact that Phoebe was really gone.

"It's okay," she finally spoke to Arnold as they break off from their embrace and began to leave also...

End.

_ A/N: What do you guys think? Were you sad? Moved? Anything is welcome, including comments, suggestions, flames, ideas, etc. Thank you very much to those who will R&R this. Thank you very, very much. If you really liked this one, then maybe you guys could also check out my TRUE first HA fanfic "Lead Us Not Into Temptation" _

_To those who have been reviewing me to continue with chapter 7, and are dying of waiting for sooo long, I'm going to email you guys as to when this will be posted at last. Promise! Hehe. If you want you can drop your email address._

_Later!_

_- tst : ) _


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